Isle of Man Post Office has published its annual plan for 2022-2023, which will go before Tynwald next month (November). The same Tynwald sitting will see IOMPO’s annual report and financial statements for the period ended 27th March 2022 laid.
The Government’s Island Plan was approved by Tynwald in February 2022 and sets out a vision to build a secure, vibrant and sustainable future for the Island. It sets out a clear direction of travel for the Island over the next five years and all areas of government (departments and statutory boards) are required to produce a version which replicates their own key strategic priorities and objectives.
Simon Kneen, Chief Executive of Isle of Man Post Office, said: “Our Annual Plan provides an insight into our progress so far of our strategic transformational journey, as well as setting out our plan for the future. We are striving to achieve the very best for our long established trusted Manx business, delivering a quality and trusted service to our valued customers and stakeholders.”
He added: “Having completed all the key strategic actions agreed at the outset, the Board has refreshed and extended its strategy beyond the original five-year span (2017-2022) to 2025. As we press on, we continue to see the results of hard work and project planning come to fruition, and this will be clear to see in our plan which has only been possible thanks to the continued support of our hardworking workforce and relationships with the employee unions.”
He continued: “In line with our customers changing needs, IOMPO is transitioning to become a parcel-led delivery company with the introduction of its first ever automated parcel sorting machine in the New Year. This machine will allow for the introduction of streamlined processes, enhanced tracking and revenue protection, and for the development of new ways of working through the use of technology.”
A precursor to implementing the new parcel machine was the amalgamation of letter and parcel deliveries in IM1 and IM2 postcode areas to allow customers to receive a single delivery per day for both parcels and letters. This change was successfully implemented during the summer months, streamlining operations and benefiting the environment through a reduction in delivery miles.
In tandem with this work, IOMPO created two new ‘default collection sites’ within the premises of the Spar stores of Westmorland Road, Douglas and Port Jack in Onchan. Turning both locations into ‘default collection sites’ means that customers living within the vicinity of the new sites, who aren’t in when their item(s) are being delivered, will be notified that their item will be left at their default collection site for pick-up. This will save customers having to travel to Postal Headquarters, providing further environmental benefits, and will offer them more convenient opening times to pick up their items.
Enhancing postal services to make them more accessible and convenient for customers is a key objective for the IOMPO Board. In the year ahead, the Board expect to implement a new online solution to allow customers to purchase their postage online (24/7) and to arrange home collections. A new handheld solution is also in development to allow retailers to offer postal only services, including buying postage, picking up and dropping off parcels in locations where a traditional sub post offices are not viable.
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